Penny was aware before we got married,’ he told the Mail last week. ‘I told her I was bisexual, that my attraction went both ways. She was understanding and I will always be grateful to her.

‘”Coming out” is such a funny phrase but it’s what I suppose I did in a rather roundabout way, emerging to a place I’m happy to be. I have struggled with my sexuality and in some ways I still do; it has been a real journey to reach this point.’

Lord Ivar Mountbatten with his ex-wife Penny

He added: ‘Being a Mountbatten was never the problem. It was the generation into which I was born. When I was growing up, it was known as “the love that dare not speak its name”, but what’s amazing now is how far we have all come in terms of acceptance.’